Central Virginia has been a key place for Indians for thousands of years. Nomadic tribes have been going there to hunt elk, turkey, bear and deer, as well as to gather the various nuts, roots, and berries found there. These tribes left no permanent structures behind and only through archaeological studies were they discovered. Later, after places became warmer, these nomadic groups started settling in one place. These settlements were in places such as Piedmont, and also farther west in parts of the Shenandoah Valley. There were many tribes, and the Powhatans were simply the tribes surrounding Jamestown, Central Virginia, and the tidewater areas.

By the time settlers arrived in 1607, most of the villages in the area had come together under the rule of a single, all powerful chief, or “werowance”. The chief came from the town of Powhatan, which is where the name comes from. At the time of English arrival, the population of Indians in the tidewater region was about 14,000.

As more settlers arrived, the Indians became increasingly frustrated that the english were encroaching on their land, and after many settlers had arrived, fighting became regular. In addition, Indians had never encountered many of the diseases brought over from Europe, and many died off. Over the years, the population of settlers increased while the Indian population steadily decreased. In 1644, the Indian chief was captured and killed, and the once-thriving indian civilization crumbled to pieces.

Although all but lost, the Powhatan empire was a powerful one, and one that ended because the English were greedy. However, most of what we know today did come from original primary sources that came from Jamestown and a few other early European explorers.